All These Years
by Undeniably Pissed
Summary: Have you ever wondered what Albus Dumbledore sees whenever he looks into the Mirror of Erised?


**All These Years**

_Have you ever wondered what Albus Dumbledore sees whenever he looks into the Mirror of Erised?_

_"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi."_

Harry Potter wanders briefly into the Headmaster's office. He doesn't know what he wants to do here. Perhaps to avoid the grief that had settled over everyone as the bodies were laid out for everyone to see and identify. He didn't want to see which among those bodies were familiar. He wanted silence. He deserved that much; after all he has been through.

"Welcome, Harry."

A small smile formed on Harry's face at the sound of his old headmaster's familiar voice. He turned to the portraits and was rewarded by a standing ovation from the former headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts.

"Well done, my boy! Well done!" One of the headmistresses tittered as she waved her hat around in the air and jumped up and down in her portrait.

Harry merely shook his head and smiled again. He turned to Dumbledore, "I couldn't have done much without you, sir."

"Please Harry, I am but a portrait of a man that once was. I couldn't have done much. You, however, have done very well," Dumbledore said, and Harry was oddly pleased when he saw his old headmaster's eyes twinkling, just as it always did whenever he was happy.

"Professor," Harry started as he began to address Dumbledore. "…can you answer my question now? The one that you didn't answer back when I was in first year?"

"And what would that be, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

The portraits in the other room acted as if they were trying to give the two some privacy, but their curiosity got the better of them.

"What did you really see when you looked into the Mirror of Erised?"

At this, Dumbledore smiled and said, "I'm afraid socks would not suffice? Why the sudden curiosity?"

"Because, sir… I've just realized that I never knew you before, that I never bothered to know past your identity as Headmaster or the leader of the Order of the Phoenix…" Harry swallowed as a wave of bitter emotion welled-up inside of him. "I feel as if I spent all of my time never fully acknowledging you for the man that you were."

"Ah, but Harry, I've been praised far too much in my lifetime that I'm not particularly fond of gaining new fans," Dumbledore said with a slight chuckle. "But perhaps, I will answer your question. Would you care in walking with me to the Room of Requirement?"

Harry nodded as he followed Dumbledore out of the office, following the Headmaster as he flitted from portrait to portrait.

When they finally came upon the wall that would eventually lead them to the Room of Requirement, Dumbledore requested Harry to wish for the Mirror of Erised and a blank canvas on the wall. After walking three times in front of the wall, wishing for just that, a door appeared. Harry entered, followed closely by Dumbledore.

There, standing in the middle of the room, was the Mirror of Erised. Propped up on the right wall was a blank canvas, which Dumbledore hurriedly occupied.

"I wonder… Harry, could you please bring me in front of the mirror?" Dumbledore said just as Harry was reaching for the dark cloth that hid the mirror from view.

Harry walked over to the canvas and placed Dumbledore in front of the mirror before removing the cloth.

"It appears that my desire is strong enough for the mirror to sense it and show it to me," Dumbledore whispered faintly.

Harry was just as surprised that the mirror worked on paintings.

"I see, Harry, my family. My beloved mother standing with my sister Ariana. My father is hovering over them protectively. My brother… welcoming me…"

Dumbledore paused as a ghost of smile spread over his face, "And I see a young blonde boy, about the age of seventeen. His name is Gellert Grindelwald and he's telling me of his ideals for the greater good."

"Gellert Grindelwald, sir?" Harry asked startled. Hadn't that been the dark wizard that Dumbledore had defeated long ago?

"Yes, Harry. Gellert, whom I loved with all of my heart," Dumbledore told Harry quietly. "He led me to believe in the great power of the Deathly Hallows, about using them to rule over all for the greater good. I've never met someone who could understand me the way he did and I was blinded for a while. Perhaps if I had not met him, his quest for power would not have been so great. That's why I fault myself for some of the damages that he has done. And yet, after all these years… I…"

Harry looked down at his shoes and felt like he was intruding on a moment that was far too private. But he had asked for this, hadn't he?

"You've done all that you can now, Harry. Because of love, you have triumphed. But remember that you must love with your eyes wide open, lest you regret having bestowed love," Dumbledore looked away, just as Gellert smiled at him and said three words that he had once spoken in their youth.

"You've given the wizarding world a better future, Harry. Now I want you to look into the mirror, see your heart's desire, and work hard to attain it. Though time moves slowly for us wizards, opportunities are just as rare even with magic."

Harry nodded and looked into the mirror. He smiled at what he saw. Behind him, Dumbledore continued to watch the eternally-smiling face of his tragic love.

"_I show not your face but your heart's desire."_

End

Author's Notes: Albus/Gellert is LOVE, people. I _knew_ there was something going on between them ever since I read Deathly Hallows. After all, they were young (eighteen and sixteen!) and highly enamored with each other's skills. Sadly, theirs is a tragic love. I feel as if Gellert was fully conscious of Albus' love for him and he used that to gain Albus' help and support. When Albus finally realizes that Gellert is merely in it for the power, he tries to put a stop to it, even though it breaks his heart to hurt Gellert. I hate the fact that Albus, after all of the things that he has sacrificed, never really got the happiness he deserved...

Still, there's still fanfiction right? Even if Albus didn't end up with Gellert in canon, fanon will make things better!

Oh yeah, and as to what Harry say in the Mirror of Erised... well, you can figure that one out for yourself. XD


End file.
